Plant-based solvent, methyloxolane, authorized for use in food production in Europe

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Tina_Rencelj

The Minafin Group (Dunkerque, France) has announced that its extraction solvent made entirely from plant-based carbon, methyloxolane, sold under the brand name EcoXtract, has been added to the list of permitted processing aids for the manufacture of food ingredients by the European Parliament and the Council for the European Union. According to Minafin, the solvent is produced from agricultural co-products such as sugarcane bagasse and does not compete with food production. Methyloxolane is an alternative to hexane, which is petroleum-based, and was recently reclassified by the European Chemicals Agency as a proven human neurotoxin. The authorized dossier for methyloxolane is based on recent studies and was reviewed by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), concluding in March 2022 that it can be used safely for food production.

"We are delighted with this change. Methyloxolane offers a new alternative solution to hexane, complementary to existing solutions, supercritical CO₂ and hot ethanol extraction. Its advantage is that it allows the reuse of production facilities initially designed to extract with hexane, with minor modifications,” says Laurence Jacques, EcoXtract managing director, in a press release. “Our goal is now to support the producers of food oils and natural ingredients to progressively abandon the use of hexane in favor of methyloxolane and thus reduce the exposure of the general population to this toxic product.”